On June 15, AACI jointly hosted the 2022 virtual Hill Day with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). During meetings with legislators, cancer center directors, researchers, physician-scientists, cancer survivors, and other advocates made the case for robust, sustained federal investments in biomedical research—and cancer research in particular—through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Bipartisan efforts in Congress over the past decade have led to increased support for the NIH. Specifically, Congress has increased the NIH budget by $14.9 billion—more than 49 percent— over the last seven fiscal years. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, AACI is advocating for an increase of $4.1 billion for the NIH. We are also asking Congress to provide at least $7.766 billion—a roughly $850 million increase—for the NCI in FY 2023, in line with the NCI director’s professional judgment budget.
Hill Day opened with remarks from Dr. Caryn Lerman, AACI president and director of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Lisa M. Coussens, AACR president and associate director of basic research at OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
“Our goal is to express that while we appreciate the ongoing commitment of Congress to providing steady, predictable increases in funding for the NIH and NCI, we know the percentage of research grants funded by the NCI lags that of other NIH institutes,” Dr. Lerman said. “Any shortfall leaves promising science—even potential cures—unfunded and may even discourage a new generation of emerging scientists from pursuing cancer research.”
The 2022 Cancer Research Ally Award was presented to Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) by Dr. Roy A. Jensen, director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center; and Dr. Steven K. Libutti, director, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, respectively.
Rep. Blunt flagged the 50-percent increase in NCI grant applications in recent years as a positive indicator of activity and excitement in the research community. However, he also noted that “so many great ideas aren’t being funded that we may be missing out on the next Jim Allison or Carl June,” [pioneering cancer researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Abramson Cancer Center, respectively, and past recipients of AACI’s Distinguished Scientist Award].
Rep. Payne spoke about his father, former U.S. Congressman Donald M. Payne, Sr., who died from colorectal cancer 10 years ago. That personal connection has led Rep. Payne to sponsor legislation aimed at providing Medicare coverage for the screening and treatment of colorectal cancer.
The program also featured remarks from Dr. Katherine Tossas, of VCU Massey Cancer Center, and Elise Daniel, an ovarian cancer survivor.
Dr. Tossas, a first-generation college graduate born in Puerto Rico, highlighted how cancer research funding helped to launch and support her career. She also talked about her mother’s battle with cancer, from a diagnosis of cervical cancer and a radical hysterectomy at age 33—when Dr. Tossas was 9 years old—to breast cancer at age 41 and colorectal cancer at 49.
“If my mom got cervical cancer today her story would likely have been very different,” Dr. Tossas said. “What I’m most hopeful about is that because of cancer research funding, cancer doesn’t have to be a death diagnosis.”
On June 22, just a week after Hill Day, the House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee released text of its draft FY 2023 spending bill. For the NIH overall, the bill provides an increase of $2.5 billion, or 5.6 percent, over the FY 2022 level, for a total of $47.5 billion.
The draft bill provides an increase of $466 million for the NCI), or 6.7 percent, over the FY 2022 level, for a total of $7.4 billion. The total also includes $216 million for the Cancer Moonshot. While this doesn’t meet AACI’s ambitious $7.76 billion ask, it is still a positive development, especially with a higher overall percentage increase for NCI compared to the overall NIH figure.
AACI will continue to monitor developments with the FY 2023 budget and provide advocacy opportunities.